If Rod Lurie's errant remake of Straw Dogs didn't tickle your morbid fear of home invasion, then perhaps the latest from Joel Schumacher (Falling Down) might do the job. Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, and Liana Liberato head an impressive cast playing the members of a millionaire family held hostage in their endless alabaster mansion. The mother lode that the masked marauders seek are the contents of a safe assumed full of diamonds, since Cage's character Kyle deals in exotic ice. But the dog-eared premise doesn't sparkle. Addled by uninspired dialogue and hammy plot twists, it could have used some anti-corporate demonstrators looking for economic parity to add interest. Cage and Kidman nearly overcome the inanity, and young Liberato as the teenage daughter holds her own. The clues about the intruders knowing the inner workings of Kyle's affairs do add some mystery, but the litany of tired plot devices will make you, too, feel like a hostage.

HOLLYWOOD, RI-STYLE | July 30, 2014 The 2014 edition will premiere more than 240 films (features, shorts and documentaries) from 62 countries and 34 US states.

GLOBAL CINEMA, LOCAL FLAVOR | August 08, 2013 The 17th annual incarnation of the Rhode Island International Film Festival begins its weeklong run on August 6. The festival, which boasts more than 200 films from 65 countries, is a celebration of the cinematic arts with a campus feel and a focus on all things Rhode Island.

REVIEW: SAFE HAVEN | February 14, 2013 Somewhere along the way Nicholas Sparks went from being just a bestselling author of preachy schmaltz to a full-on franchise (he produces the movies of his books).